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On [[January 10Wikipedia:South Carolina|South Carolina]], Florida became the third first state to secede. In February the seceding states would form from the union on [[December 20]], [[Wikipedia:Confederate States of America|Confederate States of America1860]]. Shortly after Florida's secession, the commanding officer at On [[Fort BarrancasJanuary 8]], Lieutenant [[Adam J. Slemmer1861]], decided a small group of men attached to abandon Forts Barrancas and Colonel [[Fort McRee|McReeWilliam H. Chase]] and consolidate Union forces at 's command approached [[Fort PickensBarrancas]]but were repelled by gunfire.<ref name="Views">Parks, Virginia and Sandra Johnson. ''Civil War Views of Pensacola''. Slemmer explained his decision as strategically necessaryPensacola: 1993.</ref> Lt. Gilman, second in command at Pensacola, recounts the scene:{{cquote|I called on Commodore [James] Armstrong (Union Commanding Officer About midnight a party of twenty men came to the [[Navy Yard]]) ... He had received orders fort, evidently with the intention of taking possession, expecting to cooperate with mefind it unoccupied as usual. We decided that with our limited means of defense we could hold but one fortBeing challenged and not answering nor halting when ordered, the party was fired upon by the guard and that should be [[Fort Pickens]]ran in the direction of Warrington, their footsteps resounding on the plank walk as it commanded completely the harbor long roll ceased and our company started for the fort at double-quick. This, I believe, was the forts and also first gun in the navy yardwar fired on our side.|20px|20px|Lieutenant J. H. Gilman, "With Slemmer in Pensacola in the Civil WarHarbor." ''Florida Historical Quarterly'', Vol. IX, No. 2, 1978.<ref name="withslemmer" />}}
Slemmer's men destroyed over 20,000 pounds of gunpowder at [[Fort McRee]], spiked the guns at [[Fort Barrancas]], and evacuated 51 soldiers and 30 sailors to [[Fort Pickens]].<ref name="PICW">"Pensacola in the Civil War." ''Florida Historical Quarterly, Vol. IX, No. 2, 1978.</ref> On [[January 12]], rebel troops from Alabama and Florida occupied the [[Navy Yard]] and [[Fort Barrancas]]; [[William Conway]] famously refused to strike the Union colors. Colonel [[William H. Chase]] thereafter demanded the surrender of [[Fort Pickens]], but Lt. Slemmer refused, and indeed Fort Pickens would remain in Union control for the duration of the war, a feat not duplicated by any other fort in a seceding state.
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==First hostilities==
[[WikipediaImage:South CarolinaSlemmer.jpg|thumb|South Carolinaright|Lt. [[Adam Jacoby Slemmer|Adam J. Slemmer]] became the first state to secede from the union on , commanding officer at [[December 20Fort Barrancas]]]]In January 1861, the United States Army forces in Pensacola consisted of Company G, 1st United States Artillery, which was stationed at [[1860Barrancas Barracks]]. On , near [[January 8Fort Barrancas]]. The company's commanding officer, Captain [[1861Wikipedia:John H. Winder|John H. Winder]], a small group of men attached to Colonel as well as his executive officer, First Lieutenant A. R. Eddy, were absent on leave, which left only two relatively inexperienced Army officers in Pensacola: First Lieutenant [[William HAdam Jacoby Slemmer|Adam J. ChaseSlemmer]]'s command approached commanding, and Second Lieutenant [[Fort BarrancasJeremiah H. Gilman]] but were repelled by gunfire.<ref name="Viewswithslemmer">Parks, Virginia and Sandra Johnson. ''Civil War Views of Pensacola''. Pensacola: 1993.</ref> One witness recounts the scene:{{cquote|About midnight a party of twenty men came to the fort, evidently with the intention of taking possession, expecting to find it unoccupied as usual. Being challenged and not answering nor halting when ordered, the party was fired upon by the guard and ran in the direction of Warrington, their footsteps resounding on the plank walk as the long roll ceased and our company started for the fort at double-quick. This, I believe, was the first gun in the war fired on our side.|20px|20px|Lieutenant J. H. Gilman, . "With Slemmer in Pensacola Harbor."<ref>Johnson, Robert Underwood and Clarence Clough Buel. ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=z-ESAAAAYAAJ Battles and Leaders of the Civil War]''. New York: The Century Co.Company, 1887.</ref> }}
On [[January 10]], Florida became the third state to secede. In February the seceding states would form the [[Wikipedia:Confederate States of America|Confederate States of America]]. Shortly after Florida's secession, Lieutenant Slemmer decided to abandon Forts Barrancas and [[Fort McRee|McRee]] and consolidate Union forces at [[Fort Pickens]]. Slemmer explained his decision as strategically necessary:
{{cquote|I called on Commodore [[James Armstrong|[James] Armstrong]] (Union Commanding Officer of the [[Navy Yard]]) ... He had received orders to cooperate with me. We decided that with our limited means of defense we could hold but one fort, and that should be [[Fort Pickens]], as it commanded completely the harbor and the forts and also the navy yard.|20px|20px|"Pensacola in the Civil War." ''Florida Historical Quarterly'', Vol. IX, No. 2, 1978.}}
Slemmer's men destroyed over 20,000 pounds of gunpowder at [[Fort McRee]], spiked the guns at [[Fort Barrancas]], and evacuated 51 soldiers and 30 sailors to [[Fort Pickens]].<ref name="PICW">"Pensacola in the Civil War." ''Florida Historical Quarterly, Vol. IX, No. 2, 1978.</ref> On [[January 12]], rebel troops from Alabama and Florida occupied the Navy Yard and Forts Barrancas and McRee; [[William Conway]] famously refused to strike the Union colors. The two Union naval ships in the harbor, ''[[Wikipedia:USS Wyandotte (1853)|Wyandotte]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:USS Supply (1846)|Supply]]'', were commanded by officers loyal to the Union and did not fall into rebel hands.
===Chase presses for surrender===
[[Image:Whchase.PNG|thumb|right|Colonel [[William H. Chase]] of Florida]]
On the evening of January, Colonel [[William H. Chase]] of the Florida state troops sent a party of four men to Fort Pickens, who "demanded a peaceable surrender of [the] fort." The party was turned away.
On [[January 15]], Chase himself came to Fort Pickens, accompanied by Captain Farrand, previously of the Union Navy. Lt. Gilman recounts a portion of the exchange between Chase and Slemmer:
{{cquote|I took the paper and read aloud the demand for the surrender. As soon as I finished, I handed the paper to Lieutenant Slemmer, when he and I went a few paces away; and, after talking the matter over, it was decided, in order to gain time and give our men a night's rest, to ask until next day to consider the matter. We returned to Colonel Chase, and the following conversation took place:
:''Lieutenant Slemmer:'' "Colonel, how many men have you?"
:''Colonel Chase:'' "To-night I shall have 800 or 900."
:''Lieutenant Slemmer:'' "Do you imagine you could take this fort with that number?"
:''Colonel Chase:'' "I certainly do. I could carry it by storm. I know every inch of this fort and its condition."
:''Lieutenant Slemmer:'' "With your knowledge of the fort and of your troops, what proportion of them, do you imagine, would be killed in such an attack?"
:''Colonel Chase (shrugging his shoulders):'' "If you have made the best possible preparations, as I suppose you have, and should defend it, as I presume you would, I might lose one-half of my men."
:Lieutenant Slemmer: "At least, and I don't believe you are prepared to sacrifice that many men for such a purpose."
:''Colonel Chase:'' "You must know very well that, with your small force, you are not expected to, and cannot, hold this fort. Florida cannot permit it, and the troops here are determined to have it; and if not surrendered peaceably, an attack and the inauguration of civil war cannot be prevented. If it is a question of numbers, and eight hundred is not enough, I can easily bring thousands more."
:''Lieutenant Slemmer:'' "I will give this letter due consideration, and as I wish to consult with the captains of the ''Supply'' and ''Wyandotte'' before replying, I will give you my answer to-morrow morning."
The next day the reply, refusing to surrender, was sent, Captain Berryman of the ''Wyandotte'' taking it to the yard.|20px|20px|Lieutenant J. H. Gilman, "With Slemmer in Pensacola Harbor."<ref name="withslemmer" />}}
Chase demanded surrender once more, by letter, on [[January 18]], at which point Slemmer again declined. Fort Pickens would remain in Union control for the duration of the war.
===Reinforcements===
[[Image:Reinforcement-fort-pickens.jpg|thumb|right|Reinforcement of Fort Pickens by the ''USS Brooklyn'']]
In the early months of 1861, while [[Wikipedia:James Buchanan|James Buchanan]] was still President, [[Stephen Mallory]] had negotiated a gentleman's agreement that stipulated the Union would not reinforce [[Fort Pickens]] as long as rebel troops did not attempt to take it. However, incoming president [[Wikipedia:Abraham Lincoln|Abraham Lincoln]] did not intend to honor the agreement, and on [[March 12]] ordered troops about the ''[[Wikipedia:USS Brooklyn (1858)|USS Brooklyn]]'' to land at [[Fort Pickens]]. The orders reached the ''Brooklyn'' on [[March 31]], and on [[April 12]] the troops successfully reinforced the fort.<ref name="Views" /> Additional troops were landed from the ''USS Atlantic'' on [[April 16]].<ref name="PICW" />
